Hero of the Past
by LibertyBell.047
Summary: Tsuna and Enma won the fight against Daemon Spade but as a parting gift, the mist guardian sent the young Vongola boss back to Primo's time. However, even he didn't expect Tsuna's memories to get lost somewhere between the present and the past.
1. Ch1: Beginning of the end

My very first fic in the Katekyo fandom^^, of course, I don't own anything. It belongs to the great Amano Akira.

Timeline: set around chapter 344-345, the fight against Daemon Spade.

Sorry in advance for any mistake in grammar or spelling, english isn't my first language.

But anyway, on with the story.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Beginning of the end**

An eerie silence had fallen on the battleground.

Around the vast crater formed by one of Decimo's most powerful attacks, were standing two of his guardians as well as his favorite tutor. Reborn, Chrome and owl-Mukuro had not participated in the fight that had ceased only a few moments ago, but their attention had never wavered away from their boss and they were now listening closely to his conversation with their enemy.

And so did the young leader of the Shimon family. Drawing on his last reserves of energy, Enma was on the verge of collapsing. The only thing that kept him standing -or sitting as a matter of fact- was the sight of a defeated but still conscious Daemon Spade. The man had let escape his most precious treasure, a locket hiding the picture of his fellow guardians and the woman he loved.

"Just like Elena wanted." He finished his story. "The Vongola brought peace to the weak."

"I wonder... if she would like this kind of family." Tsuna said softly.

The young boss of Vongola was kneeling besides Spade. The right part of his ring was dangling from its chain, from when he had removed his glove to take the man's golden locket, but at this moment, he couldn't care less. He was covered with burns and bruises and looked worse off than Enma if the thing was even possible. Despite that, he had listen reverently to Daemon's confession, and then tried to make him see reason. But the former mist guardian wouldn't hear any of it.

"What... did you say? You think someone like you can understand Elena's feelings?!"

"Yes. I do." Tsuna replied without hesitation. He honestly spoke out his mind, willing to convey his feelings about Elena to the fallen man.

Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Daemon looked more furious than ever. Dark volutes appeared around the angered guardian as he lifted his hand toward Tsuna. The brunet fell backwards, startled by the sheer hate he could see in the man's eyes.

"How dare you... speak of her!"

"Move back Tsuna!" Reborn shouted from afar, making Tsuna cringe. Whenever the baby hitman wasn't using his depreciating nickname, it usually meant serious trouble. But the previous fight had drained him and he even had trouble getting back on his feet. Switching to Hyper mode was of course out of the question.

"Daemon, wait-" He tried again, but in vain.

"You think you know her so well! Then why don't you try to see it by yourself!"

As those words left his mouth, the body of the mist guardian suddenly burst into dust. The dark clothes that had once been worn by Mukuro fell flatly on the ground. A strong wind rose from the edges of the crater and spiralled down to its centre, forcing everyone to lower their heads. The little Arcobaleno grabbed the nearest rock and Chrome stuck her trident into the ground, protecting the tiny owl in her arms.

"Boss!" She shouted in alert, unable to help the Decimo.

Tsuna was the closest to the vortex and he would have been immediately pulled in if Enma hadn't caught him. The red head had anchored his feet in the earth and grabbed his friend's right hand just in time.

"Hold on Tsuna-kun!"

"I'm... trying."

The Vongola ring was biting into his skin under Enma's grip and he felt it was dangerously slipping off his finger. Fighting against the tremendous force that was pulling him back, he took a step forward and tried to grab Enma's arm, when his foot slipped.

"Hiiieee!"

Enma felt his hand close on thin air. He reached forward but it was too late, Tsuna had been instantly pulled in the vortex. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it faded away. The wind calmed down, leaving four shocked mafiosos to stare at the place where their boss and friend had been standing not even a minute ago.

Slumped on the ground, Enma was thinking that nothing worse could have happened when his eyes fell on a small and shiny object. Horror stricken, he picked it up with trembling hands.

It was the Vongola ring. Decimo's only weapon.

"Tsuna-kun..."

* * *

Very very short prologue, my bad..

Next chapter will be longer, I promise.  
But I hope you liked it!


	2. Ch2: Confusion at all times

Hi guys,

I planned the next update for the 6th, so there it is.^^  
I'll put de dates on my profile, so you can check if you want.

Thanks for you reviews and adds, I hope you'll like this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Confusion at all times**

White.

Everything around him was so blindingly white; he had to keep his eyes half closed. His whole body was aching, he didn't think there was an inch of it free of pain. But the worst was his throbbing head. He felt like it was about to explode.

He sensed some people around him, light hands touching his head and his face. It only made the pain worse. He wanted to tell them to leave him but he couldn't even form out the words correctly. "G'..way."

Surprisingly, the hands did move away, if only for a moment. Among the rustles of fabric around him, he heard a soft voice, talking to him. ".. … Il... ... nome.." He didn't understand what it said. He didn't even try to, it only increased the pounding in his head. But almost unconsciously, his mouth moved on its own.

One word passed the barrier of his lips.

And then he knew no more.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

Mafia hitmen weren't people to worry easily. Especially about others. So when the best of them admitted -in front of other witnesses- that he was worried, it did nothing to ease their fears.

On the island, the Vongola and Shimon families had assembled after the last fight. Satisfied by the friendship between the two young bosses, the Vendice had released all the imprisoned guardians. But the joy was short lived. Upon arriving on the battle scene, the guardians had been informed of Tsuna's disappearance by Reborn.

No need to say that they took the news quite badly.

Gokudera fell on his knees and punched the ground in frustration. "Damnit! I wasn't there to protect Jyuudaime! I'm a failure as his right-hand man!"

"Kufufu, I don't think you would have made any difference." The mist guardian chirped, ignoring Chrome's reproachful '_Mukuro-sama!_'

"Shut up bastard! You were there, why didn't you do something?!" Gokudera snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the two illusionists. Then he turned to the head of the Shimon family, who was still prostrated on the ground. "And you! Why the hell did you- ow!"

Gokudera rubbed the back of his head as the baby hitman landed besides him. "Enough now. Getting angry doesn't solve anything. If you want to reclaim your title as a right-hand man, you'd better start thinking of a way to bring him back."

"Y-Yeah, ok."

"Good."

"Do you have an idea little one?" Yamamoto asked in a voice devoid of his usual cheerfulness. Anything concerning his friends and Tsuna's safety wasn't part of the game anymore.

"Yes. And I think you two have the same idea as me, don't you?"

Those last words were addressed to the mist guardians and Chrome nodded, her eyes downcast. "Y-yes. Daemon Spade told Boss to 'see it for himself' when he was talking about Elena. So I.. I think that maybe he could have sent him... in her time."

The patched-eye girl's revelation left them speechless.

"That's right." Reborn continued. "I think it's safe to assume he sent Dame-Tsuna back in time. Four hundred years ago to be more precise."

By now, most of their jaws were hanging open. Sure, they had all time-travelled once before, thanks to the Millefiore family and Lambo's bazooka, but it had only been a ten year lapse. Four _hundred_ years was just... way too far.

"I don't understand, why would he do that?" Adelheid said from where she was standing with the Shimon family. "If Spade had the power to go back in time, why didn't he just send himself back in his era?"

"You seem to forget that it took him everything to do so. He couldn't have time-travelled without disappearing at the same time." Reborn pointed out, and a few guardians nodded understandingly. Crossing his arms, he continued. "So, we know where he is, the question is: how are we going to bring him back?"

Another pregnant pause followed his question as they all stared at him. The words, '_Yeah, how?_' seemed to be hanging in the air.

"The Vongola rings are linked to the time dimension, aren't they?" Gokudera said first. "Like the Mare ones are to space. We could combine their power to bring back Jyuudaime!"

"Oh yeah, that's a great idea!"

"Shut up, baseball freak! I wasn't talking to you!"

"Hey you two, it's EXTREMELY not the time to fight!"

"You shut the hell up too, turf-head!"

"What did you say?!"

"Maa, maa, calm down."

"Lambo is tired! Lambo is hungry! Lambo wants candy!"

"Shut it brat!"

"A-ano... everyone.. m-maybe you should s-st-stop?"

"Kufufu, leave them be. They are useless after all."

"Say what?!"

"Even if you combined all your powers, it still wouldn't be enough to save your dear Vongola."

"That's not true to the EXTREME!"

"Candy!"

"Bring it on!"

"Hn. Herbivores."

A few steps away, the Shimon family could only stare in silence at the argument taking place in front of them. Well, it wasn't like this kind of thing never happened in their own family, but still... this was quickly getting out of proportion.

However, their banter came to a short end when three shots rang in the air, courtesy of a certain baby hitman.

**_Bang! Bang! Bang!_**

The Vongola guardians halted in their movement, whether they were attempting to light dynamites or trying to punch each other into next week.

"Stop this." Reborn said. "You're ridiculous. What would Dame-Tsuna say if he could see you right now?" He added sternly.

Truth to be told, Tsuna probably wouldn't have said anything and would have just tried to calm them down like Chrome was doing. But still, he was their boss and friend, and the baby hitman's remark was enough of a reminder that he was gone to make some of them lower their heads in shame.

Satisfied by that, Reborn went back to the subject preoccupying them all. "Gokudera's idea wasn't half bad though. The rings are powerful and they are probably the only things we can use us now that Daemon is gone." He said, giving them back a small spark of hope. "It also helps that the guardians' rings are linked to the sky ring. It will be easier to localize him."

"Great!" Yamamoto said cheerfully. "So, we'll need to use the connection with Tsuna's ring?"

"Alright, let's do it now!" Gokudera suggested. But before he could speak further on, he was cut by a sudden shout.

"It's impossible!"

All the heads turned to the one who had just spoken. Freeing himself from Adelheid's hold, Enma took a few shaking steps forward.

"What do you mean?" Reborn asked, frowning.

"Tsu...Tsuna-kun doesn't have his ring with him." Enma announced in a trembling voice. "I-it's here."

As he opened his hand, the Vongola guardians could only stare, aghast, at the small and familiar ring resting on his palm. Sadly, there was no mistaking it.

"That complicates everything." Reborn muttered.

"What? You mean we can't do anything?" Gokudera shouted out,

"That's not what I said." The baby hitman retorted as he jumped from his perch. "For now yes, there's little we can do. We have to return to the base first, we'll need the help of Spanner, Shouichi and Giannini. Maybe they could try something with the ten-year bazooka." He added more for himself.

Soon after, the little troupe started to gather their things and made their way back to the Vongola ship, surrounded by a morose atmosphere.

They were all worried about Tsuna, whether they admitted it or not. Still, they tried to hide their uneasiness because voicing it out loud would only make them feel worse. Yamamoto reverted to his usual cheerful self, if only on the surface, to keep their morale high.

Gokudera and Chrome kept repeating things like, "We'll definitely bring you back! Please wait Jyuudaime/Boss." on different decibel levels, while Hibari and Mukuro kept an unusually low profile.

Lambo and Ryohei were of course the most rowdy ones. The small cow never stopped asking for candies and treats, as usual, and the sun guardian kept on punching into the air every five minutes, shouting loud enough to break their eardrums.

"Don't worry guys! Sawada will be extremely back in no time!"

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

"Well, that was an extreme waste of time!"

Strolling through the town's main avenue, two men were discussing with each other. The red headed storm guardian and the tall priest clad in back were walking side by side toward the Vongola villa. Several people greeted them as they passed, and while Knuckle responded with a small wave, G didn't as much as glance at them.

"I know." He grumbled. "The next time this moron calls us for no reason, I'll kick his fat ass out of the country!"

Knuckle sighed, both annoyed by his friend's foul language and the fact that he was right for once. Earlier in the day, a small famiglia under their control had requested their help for '_a very serious and urgent matter_'. When they learned it was just to know Primo's favourite dish for the next mafia reunion, G had almost strangled their boss.

"Damnit, I need a drink. You're coming?"

"G, you know I don't-"

"Guardians! Wait please, guardians!"

Interrupted before he could start his speech about the conditions of priesthood, Knuckle turned around to see a young nun running to them.

"T-Thank you." She said as she tried to catch her breath, one hand resting on her chest.

Knuckle had the time to examine the crest on her shoulder. "You are from the church of Santa Lucia aren't you? Is there a problem, my sister?"

"Yeah, what kind of problem would have a pretty little nun like you run out in the streets?" G said half-jokingly.

He shrugged off Knuckle' disapproving look, since the sister didn't seem to be offended. "Thank god I met you here brother. We found a wounded boy this morning near our church. We treated his injuries the best we could but they are quite serious and our mother sent me to request for your help."

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes, please come. It's a _very urgent matter_."

Knuckle winced. He wished the sister had avoided saying that. G had been listening quietly until now but those three last words set him off.

"Listen girl, there are many other priests and doctors in this town. Why don't you go call one of them to do your charity work?"

"G!"

"No! It has to be someone of the Vongola family, because..." The guardians didn't miss her sideway glances. It seemed she was trying to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.

"Because?"

The answer came in a low whisper. "Because that boy is Signore Primo's son."

A pregnant pause followed her declaration. Honestly, they had expected everything but that.

"What?! That's ridiculous! Giotto doesn't have a- hmpf!"

In a bold move, the nun had clamped her hand on the storm guardian's mouth. "Shh. I know you cannot speak of it. But you have to come, you will see for yourself."

G shoved her hand away and was about to make short work of the poor sister when he was cut -again- by Knuckle. "Alright, let's go immediately."

"Thank you brother! Please follow me."

Ignoring his friends' protests, the priest dragged him after the sister, all the while pretending not to hear his grumbling about crazy nuns. Truth to be told, he also thought this whole thing about Giotto's son was a bit far-fetched. But a as member of the clergy, it was his duty to help the ones in need, and besides, he was a bit curious as to what would made the nuns of Santa Lucia invent such a story.

As he told G, it was extremely suspicious.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

* * *

One of my favorites ways of writing is to put the dialogue without mentioning the names of the people talking, like the vongola's fight^^ I hope I didn't confuse anyone...

I'm open to any constructive criticism, especially for my english.

Well, that's all for now, see you soon!


	3. Ch3: Of discoveries and mysteries

**Chapter 3: Of discoveries and mysteries**

The church was situated at the outskirts of the town, at the foot of a rocky hill. Upon their arrival, G and Knuckles were greeted by the mother superior and promptly guided toward the abbey's infirmary.

"We found him this morning, he was lying against the wall of our garden." The old nun told them. "It frightened our sisters at first. He was covered in so much blood... I think he must have fallen from the cliffs."

Knuckles frowned. He could treat any kind of injury but the more serious they were, the longer it took. "I see. But what makes you think he is Primo's son?"

The mother superior nodded at his question but didn't answer right away. She stopped in front of a door and opened it, preceding the guardians. G and Knuckles immediately spotted the boy as he was the only person lying on a bed. Another sister was sitting next to him, and as she moved away, she gave them a full view on the boy's face.

"Wha-"

"It can't-"

For a split second, they almost saw their boss, lying there in the hospital bed.

After the initial shock, and as their gazes trailed over the bandaged teenager, they took in the several differences (the first one being the height) this boy had with Primo. There were some, but in all honesty, they could now understand why the nuns had mistaken him for Giotto's kid. Aside from the different hair colour and the fact that his face was a bit more childish than Primo's, he really was a carbon-copy of their boss.

"Hey." G said, his eyes still fixed on the boy. "You don't think that Giotto could have…"

Knuckle shook his head. "No. Just think about their age. He looks around thirteen or fourteen and Giotto just turned twenty-six last month."

"Is Signore Primo that young? I had no idea." The mother said, surprised. "Who is this boy then?"

Unfortunately, that was a question neither G nor Knuckle could answer. Leaving those interrogations for another day, the sun guardian sat on the edge of the bed and started to examine the injured teen. He had multiples cuts and bruises, which he quickly took care of. His fractured arm and twisted ankle also received the same treatment; the boy would just have to make sure not to move them too much.

The most preoccupying thing was his head. Knuckle's hands started to glow a bit brighter as he used more of his power to heal the injury. The boy's eyelids twitched slightly and a few incoherent words escaped his lips as he turned around.

The sun guardian was relieved to see that, at least, he wasn't in a coma.* "He never woke up, did he?" He asked the mother superior.

"Oh actually, he did. But no more than a few seconds. We tried to ask him who he was or if there was somebody we could call." The nun explained. "He just said one name: Tsuna."

"Tsuna?" G repeated.

"That doesn't extremely sound Italian."

"I know. His clothes were also very strange. In fact, our sister superior said they were probably tainted by evil and burned them a while ago."

"He didn't have anything else on him?"

The nun told them she had recovered a few objects that had been in the boy's pockets. She opened a drawer of the bedside table and took them out. G found himself in possession of a bottle of small pills, a pair of white mittens marked with a red '27' and a-

"What the hell is that?!"

Both guardians felt their jaw drop -for the second time of the day- at the sight of a little box, the size of a tangerine, decorated with a perfect reproduction of the Vongola arms. It was very finely wrought, and they couldn't find a single mishap when they compared it to their rings.

"This brat is no son of Giotto, he's a spy." G said, becoming instantly serious.

"What?"

"Why else would he have something like that? He probably copied our arms to pass for a Vongola."

Saying that, G attempted to open the box but even with his whole strength, it proved to be impossible. He even tried by smashing it against the wall but it came out unscathed, playing with his frustration.

"Signore Guardian, please don't that!" The nun said in a shocked voice.

"Hm, never mind." He muttered as he pocketed the box. "We will find a way to open it later at the villa. And if we don't, this brat will have to explain it to us."

"Are you taking him? But in his state-"

"Don't worry mother, I have healed most of his injuries. He is still suffering from a concussion but if we move him cautiously, it will be extremely fine!" Knuckle said to reassure her. He wasn't lying, even though he wouldn't have done that under normal circumstances. He didn't really think that the kid was a spy unlike G, but there was definitely something strange about him.

The nun protested a bit but a few comforting words from the priest finally convinced her. G went out to find a carriage and less than an half an hour later, they were heading toward the Vongola villa. Knuckle carried the boy very carefully, as to not jostle his head. The teen's eyelids fluttered from time to time but he remained unconscious during the whole ride.

"Giotto is in for a surprise when he gets back." The sun guardian said as he watched the boy. "An extreme surprise..."

G let his head fall on the cushioned headrest and closed his eyes. "Don't remind me."

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

Far away from this town, in another carriage running on a country road, three men were also trying to find some rest. Well, two of them were. The third one...

"Giotto, please." A dark haired man sighed. "Can't you calm down?"

The two guardians were watching their boss with a mix of amusement and annoyance. Since the moment they had left Palermo, where a reunion between famiglia dons was held, Primo had been jumpy and unable to sit still for more than one minute. Had they not been travelling in a carriage, Asari was sure he would have started pacing.

"Yeah, sorry." Giotto said, running his fingers through his hair. "I just have this weird feeling that something... important is going to happen. And I don't know if it's good or bad."

"Your hyper intuition acting up again? I'm so glad the great man I am doesn't have it."

"Maa, maa, you know it has helped us many times Lampo."

Giotto barely listened to the rest of their conversation, although he was inwardly glad he had chosen his rain and lightning guardian to accompany him. Apart from Knuckle -most of the time at least-, the three others had very volatile tempers that didn't really mix well. Luckily, Alaude was gone for a mission god knows where and Elena was there to keep Daemon and G from blowing up his villa.

A strong feeling of dread filled his heart as the words 'blow up the villa' resurfaced in his mind. He didn't like it one bit.

O-o-o-o-O

The sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon when the Vongola boss and his guardians arrived in town. Giotto's feeling of imminent doom had not faded in the slightest; on the contrary it only seemed to grow as they approached the mansion. Asari was trying his best to keep him busy by talking about a new mafia family that had appeared in the region and such, but Lampo's poor timing ruined all his efforts.

"Hey, I think something is burning over there."

The two men followed his gaze and surely enough, a few kilometres away, a dark column of smoke was rising to the sky. Unsurprisingly, it was situated in the exact direction of the manor.

Giotto felt like hitting his head against the window frame. "I knew it…" He stood up and opened the door lock of the carriage.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going first. They're probably just fighting but it could also be an attack on the villa. Either way, I'll go faster by the airs."

That said, Giotto turned around and opened the door wide, ignoring the frightened 'Signore!' coming from his poor coachman. He switched to Hyper Mode and in a burst of flames, took off in the night sky. Asari watched him disappear like a comet, wondering he should urge the coachman after him.

Lampo though, had no such worries. "I pity those guys." He only said before closing his eyes once again.

Indeed.

Unaware of their future predicament, 'those guys' were starting a new glaring contest at the moment. Standing in what remained of the mansion's dining room, the storm and mist guardian of the Vongola family were catching their breath after a fierce exchange.

"I'll repeat it for the last time, we won't do anything before Giotto comes back!" G shouted as he cocked his gun.

"You were the one to find this box. The boy is obviously a spy, and we should take care of this before his family makes a move." Daemon replied, pointing his scythe toward his fellow guardian.

"And how are you planning to interrogate him?! He's unconscious for god's sake!"

"That is why I told you to let me deal with it. I would have found... ways to make him talk." The illusionist said before pulling out a box from his pocket, holding it in plain view.

Startled, G checked out his own pockets, only to find them empty. "You bastard! When-"

"Kufufu, you ought to be more careful with your toys."

Irked by Daemon Spade's incessant taunts, G held his gun with both hands and moved onto the attack. So as not to be undone, the mist user also grabbed his weapon and dashed forward. Entirely focused on their opponent, they were vaguely aware of the presence of Elena and Knuckle who were shouting something that sounded like ''stop, to the extreme''.

G and Daemon were a few inches away from landing their blow when a sudden light flashed between them. It took them a few seconds to realise that the one blocking their weapons with his bare hands was no other than their very powerful and very pissed off boss.

"I'm curious to know what kind of excuse you'll have this time."

Primo's humourless tone was making them regret the fight. Not that they would ever admit it though. A little embarrassed, G pointed to the ground with his free hand. "Errm... that one."

Giotto looked down, and later on, he would remember how he had expected something a little more imposing than a tiny box.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

Later on then.

The whole Vongola family, minus one, had gathered in Primo's office after Asari and Lampo's arrival. Both of them had not been very surprised to see an irritated Giotto back up Elena as she scolded the two guilty guardians. The destroyed dining room didn't really catch their attention either.

What _had _surprised them however, was the tale told by G and Knuckle. The two guardians had a hard time convincing their friends that ''_no, we haven't gone drinking and yes, we did find an injured boy in an abbey's infirmary who looks exactly like you Giotto''_. Primo had only really started to believe them when they took him to the teen's room, where they were now standing.

The six guardians and Elena, who had gallantly been offered a seat, were cramped in the small room now turned into a makeshift infirmary. It took a few minutes before Giotto, Asari and Lampo finally picked up their jaws from where they had fallen.

"You were right..." Primo whispered, staring at the sleeping boy. "We really do look alike." If he didn't know better, he would have almost believed the boy was his long lost brother.

"You know, I'm supposed to be your right hand man." G started in a sulky voice. "You could have told me you had a child."

"What?! Of course he's not my child, G! I tell you everything, and besides, you know I've never been in a rela... err..." Giotto trailed off when he saw that all his guardians were hanging on his every word, not wanting to miss anything about his -rather inexistent- love life. Primo sweatdropped. Elena he could have understood, but Lampo and Daemon too? There was no way he would ever discuss that with them.

"What were you saying Giotto?" Elena asked very innocently.

But Primo didn't buy it and tried instead to put back the discussion on safer rails. "Ahem.. I was asking, what did you say is name was?"

Taking pity on his boss' poor attempt of conversation switch, Kunckle answered."We're not sure it's his name, but according to the sisters, he said _Tsuna_."

"Tsuna…?" Giotto repeated slowly, trying to recall if he had already heard that peculiar name. Unfortunately, it didn't ring any bell and he was pulled out of his reflexions by the voice of his friend.

"Are you really sure he's not your son?"

Giotto shook his head, amused by G's insistence. The guardian shrugged and moved on another subject. "What about the box?"

Primo sighed and took it out of his pocket. Holding it in his hands, he sat down in the only remaining free armchair, a pensive frown plastered on his face. At first, he had come to the same conclusion as his guardian, the boy was a spy. But as soon as he saw him, he wanted to dismiss those thoughts. Something wasn't right.

"What isn't?" asked Daemon, and Giotto realised he had said those last words out loud.

"The kid. He can't be a spy."

Primo's assertive declaration seemed to startle them. "What makes you say that?" asked a skeptic G.

"Well… nothing. It just seems ridiculous to consider him as an enemy."

Giotto's last words were almost said in a whisper as he looked up at the boy, studying his peaceful face. Yes, this wasn't somebody he should be wary of. His worries were gone; he would patiently wait for the boy, Tsuna from Knuckle's recollection, to wake up.

However, his guardians thought quite differently. "I suppose this is your hyper intuition speaking?" Daemon said, his voice bordering on exasperation.

"Indeed."

"Giotto, listen." started G. "I know your intuition is often right. Yes, always right." He added after Primo's pointed look. "But we can't just brush off all suspicions. I don't know what those pills and mittens are for but just look at the box! There's no way he could possess that if he wasn't involved with the mafia! And even if he's not really a spy, he could be working for a Famiglia without knowing it."

"No."

Primo's stubborn answer set them off, and for once, the Vongola famiglia was heavily divided.

Daemon and G both thought the boy was a spy, and should be treated as such. But their definition of this treatment was still a subject to debate. Giotto and Elena didn't believe it and were in favour of giving him a chance to explain himself, hyper intuition and motherly feelings working in sync. Asari and Knuckle were still uncertain, wavering between the two camps. As for Lampo... he casted his usual blank vote.

Thank god Alaude wasn't there.

"Make up your mind already, G." Giotto finally retorted. "Is he my son or a spy? He can't be both!"

"Of course he could! Maybe you had a child somewhere and he grew up influenced by some other Famiglia."

"It pains me to say that, but I agree with the idiot." Daemon said, ignoring G's protests.

"Maa, even if he was a spy he's still a child. You shouldn't be so harsh with him."

"Our family's safety is at stake here!"

And the discussion started again from scratch... Finally, after a good hour of debate, Giotto threw a desperate look at Elena, which she immediately understood.

"Boys, may I suggest we continue this conversation tomorrow?" she said sweetly.

"But-"

"No buts, Daemon dear. Off to your rooms."

The guardians protested a bit but still made their way to the door, under Giotto's appreciative look. That girl was a walking miracle, he mused as he watched them leave.

"I'll take the first turn." he said from his seat.

Earlier in the discussion, they had decided to always keep an eye on the boy. One of them would always have to stay in the room until he woke up. The guardians nodded at their boss as they walked away.

"By the way Giotto..." G said, standing at the door.

"What?"

"Are you _sure_ he's not your s-"

G ducked the cushion thrown at him and promptly closed the door, leaving his fuming boss to glare after him. Knowing G's stubbornness, he wasn't going to abandon the idea of Giotto's supposed son turned spy anytime soon.

After a while, Primo also went to lock the door. He let out a long sigh; to think the other bosses had praised him for his highly capable and united family... It almost made him laugh. What would they say if they saw the current state of their dining room?

Giotto came to sit on the bed, near the boy's head, and rested his back against the wall. The kid hadn't woken up during their conversation and even now, the only sign showing he was still alive was the slow rise of his chest. The blond man brushed aside a lock of messy brown hair, being careful not to touch his head.

_Who are you... _he wondered silently. He would have his guardians ask in town if anybody was looking for him. He somehow doubted to get any result though. What they knew about him was a face that was pretty much a mirror of his and a name they could only suppose was his own. That wasn't much but the mystery would probably remain until his awakening.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

* * *

And that's all for now:) Hope you liked the interactions between the first generation guardians.

I'm trying to make them as in-character as I can, but apart from that, there will be a few things different from canon. Either because it's needed for the story, or because I don't remember all the details of canon... like Giotto's age or whether or not Tsuna still has his box.

Thanks for all your reviews, I was really happy to read all your positive feedback!

Next update isn't planned yet, but you can check my profile in a few days or so.

Ciao


	4. Ch4: Impromptu tag game

**Chapter 4: Impromptu tag game**

The first thought that crossed his mind was this reassuring feeling of peace and calmness. He could feel a soft mattress under his back and nice covers atop of him. It was so comfortable; he didn't even want to wake up. But just as he was about to fall back into Morpheus' arms, a dull pain in his head shook him awake.

Slowly he opened his eyes, and pushed himself upright, groaning as he clutched his head. He could feel a soft fabric under his hands, and guessed some bandaged were wrapped around his head. Where they came from, he had no idea. As the pain gradually faded away, he took his time to observe his surroundings.

The room was fairly small, just large enough for a bed, a dresser and a table. The walls were painted in beige and decorated with stylish mouldings. The candles of the small ceiling light above him were all put out, making the bedroom quite dark since the sky was cloudy outside. He thought the room was pretty nice but still had a strange feeling about it. The whole things looked... old, unfamiliar.

He shivered. Now that he wasn't under the covers, the thin fabric of the shirt he was wearing didn't protect him much. He spotted a change of clothes at the end of his bed and after much debate, decided to take them.

Five minutes later, he was standing in front of the door, his legs still feeling a bit weak. His hand was already on the doorknob but he hesitated to turn it. He didn't know where he was and even if he didn't sense any danger for the moment, it didn't mean he wanted to run straight into it. Finally, his grumbling stomach took the better of him and he pushed the door open.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

In one of the town's main avenue, a travelling carriage stopped a little more abruptly than it should have, startling the bystanders. A blond man, wearing a long trench coat stepped out of it, threw a little pouch to the coachman who caught it clumsily.

"T-thank you, si-signore."

Without a word, Alaude turned on his heels and walked away, allowing the poor people who had travelled with him to finally breathe freely. He usually disliked those methods of transportation but even he wasn't going to walk all the way from Napoli.

Avoiding the most crowded streets, he immediately made his way toward the villa. The head of CEDEF just came back from a surveillance mission. A few months ago, a new family had appeared in the outskirts of Napoli and under the impulsion of their charismatic boss, it quickly became a noticeable organisation. From what Alaude had gathered, this Famiglia planned to implant their headquarters in their city. Whether they would accept an alliance with the Vongola or not was still unknown and he would have to discuss it with Giotto.

Mulling over these thoughts, he quickly arrived in front of the mansion's gates. Well, the real entrance was on the opposite side of the villa but, why bother? Alaude jumped over the high fence and gracefully landed in the back garden. He was walking under the tree when he spotted a small figure standing beside a flower bed. His ice blue eyes narrowing, he looked closely and realised it was an intruder.

"Trespassers shall be arrested." Alaude said silently as he jumped on a branch.

Hidden under the foliage, he took a few seconds to observe the enemy. The man, or rather the boy, seemed quite young and was dressed in what looked like a set of Lampo's old clothes. The bandages around his head, arm and ankle indicated that he had been injured recently. But what surprised Alaude the most was the boy's behaviour.

What kind of intruder would just stand in the middle of a garden, looking as he was just taking some fresh air?

Then, to his surprise, the boy's head jerked up and his eyes darted to the exact direction where Alaude was standing. A panicked expression descended on his face as he stepped backwards, making the cloud guardian frown. He hadn't moved a finger, how on earth did he notice him?

"Who... who's there?" The kid said in a small voice.

His Italian held a slight accent Alaude had already heard but didn't recognise at the moment. Abandoning his cover, the guardian jumped on the ground and in a move almost impossible to follow for untrained eyes, reappeared behind the boy, the chain of his handcuffs secured around his neck.

"Waah!"

The boy stumbled backwards but Alaude's strong grip prevented him from falling. "W-what are you doing?" he asked, fear evident in his eyes. "Who... who are you?"

"I should be the one asking those questions. What are you doing here? Answer me." The guardian said in a cold voice, tugging on his handcuffs.

"Agh! I- I don't know... I woke up here, in- in a room upstairs." he stuttered as he tried to pry off the chain. "T-there wasn't anyone, so I went out but I- I got lost."

"Which family are you from?"

"Fa-family?"

"Do not try to fool me. I'll repeat it only once, what is the name of your famiglia?"

Struggling against his captor, the boy's hands were trembling. "I don't know what you're talking about!" He almost shouted out.

Irritated by his useless schemes, Alaude grabbed his shoulder and made him turn around, now wrapping the chain around his wrists. "I have had enou-"

Whatever Alaude wanted to say remained stuck in his throat. Now that he had a clear view on the boy's face, he realised his features looked almost exactly like Giotto's, albeit a bit more childish.

"Who are you?" He asked slowly.

The boy opened his mouth to answer but no word passed the barrier of his lips. His chocolate brown eyes widened when he looked up to the tall man, as if he was waiting for him to give the answer. His hands had stopped shaking and when he finally replied, only astonishment and disbelieving realization remained in his voice.

"I... I don't know..."

Whatever Alaude had expected, that answer was far from it. He stared at the boy, slowly releasing his grip since he didn't seem to be going anywhere.

"Who… am I? What am I doing here?"

The boy was looking at Alaude as if he wasn't really seeing him. He seemed genuinely confused but it could also be part of an ingenious trap, the cloud guardian reasoned. He was going to ask him something when a shattering sound cut his interrogation short. It seemed like a window had been broken in the other wing of the mansion behind him.

The moment he turned around, he knew it was a bad idea. In the split second he wasn't looking, the boy bolted away from him and ran back into the house.

Startled, Alaude didn't follow him right away. Why did he go back inside? It was the worst place of all, since all the other guardians were there, not to mention Primo. Alaude shook his head as he slowly went after the boy.

Really, spies lacked a great deal of common sense these days.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

In the office of the west wing, Giotto was sitting behind his desk, glaring at the paper he had just read. The people who usually rebuild the manor were a bunch of lazy artisans who delayed the reparations as long as they could. Giotto would have fired them a long time ago if he had found a single thing to say about the quality of their work. Sighing, he put down the letter. It seemed they wouldn't be eating in the dining room for a while.

At this moment, loud footsteps echoed outside in the corridor and soon after, the door burst open. Mildly annoyed, Giotto stared at his friend who had almost broken down his furniture.

"Yes, G?"

"Giotto! He's gone!"

Frowning, Primo rose. "Who?"

"The spy." G walked in, dragging the lightning guardian behind him. "This moron left the room without telling anyone and didn't even lock the door!"

"Yeah sorry, I forgot... Ow! Let me go!"

Struggling against G, Lampo pulled his arm free and in his movement, knocked away the ink pot which was on Giotto's desk, sending it flying. Primo easily dodged it but his window wasn't so lucky. The feather and the ink pot broke through the glass and fell two floors down.

"Uh... s-sorry."

Giotto wanted very much to smack him over the head, just like G was doing, but honestly, he didn't even have the strength to get angry anymore. "Forget it." he said before turning to the redhead. "Did you ask the maids?"

"They haven't seen anyone." A new voice answered from the door. Dressed in his usual white hakama, the rain guardian was just coming back from the kitchen where he had questioned a few maids and butlers. "But most of them were downstairs, so they might not have notice him leave."

"Alright. Let's look for him, he couldn't have gone very far in his state." The guardians nodded, "And please try not to use your flame. I'm sure you're still capable of catching a lost and injured child without it, aren't you?" Giotto added, raising an eyebrow.

None of the three men missed his silent warning, _'destroy another room of my villa and I'll make you pay dearly for the rest of your life_'. But while G and Lampo nodded seriously, Asari laughed it away in his usual carefree manner. "Maa, maa, he's just a little kid after all. We'll easily bring him ba-"

"WAIT TO THE EXTREME!"

At this very moment, a loud yell erupted in the hallway, effectively cutting off Asari.

"Hiiieeee!"

Sounds of pursuit and broken glass (again) followed shortly after, and Giotto decided it was time to intervene. "Let's go, quick!"

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

"_Why did I come back inside? Why did I come back inside? Why? Why? Why?"_

As those questions were jumbling over and over in his mind, our poor boy was running in the tortuous hallways like a fleeing rabbit. He had just made a risky U-turn in a very narrow corridor after finding himself face to face with a tall and scary man dressed in black. Unfortunately, said man had not lost his trail and was now running after him.

He had absolutely no idea where he was, or where he was going. He had been scared to death by the appearance of the blonde man with the handcuffs, and he only wanted to find a safe place to rest for a while. Tears of panic prickled at the corner of his eyes; why was it happening to him?!

"Stop right there brat!"

"Aahh!"

A terrifying redhead had just blocked his way, and to avoid him, he immediately turned in the first corridor free of pursuers, almost tripping over his own feet in the process.

"Wait!"

Picking himself up, he didn't even glance back and started to run again at full speed. His lungs were on fire by now, and the pounding in his head had only increased but there was no way he would let those scary guys catch him.

Slamming a door open, he suddenly found himself in a vast hall. He was at the top of a pair of stairs which joined together at the middle, and led... to the villa's main door!

"Giotto! Over here!" The dangerously close redhead shouted behind him. Looking up, he realised another man with blond hair was standing on the stairs, just on the opposite side. He couldn't really see his face from here, but he didn't care. His only goal was the door and he made a run for it. He didn't realise who was standing at the bottom of the stairs until it was far too late.

"This time I'll arrest you for good."

His eyes widen at the sight of the blond man, still holding his terrible chain, and then his foot suddenly lost its support. The world turned upside down, and when he saw the marbled floor rushing toward him, he closed his eyes and braced for the impact.

"Tsuna!"

A man shouted. And then, as abruptly as it had started, his fall stopped and he felt two strong arms hold him protectively. He heard a sigh of relief, followed by kind words. "Thank god, I almost thought... hey, are you alright?"

Still a bit shaken, he hesitated to look at his -apparent- saviour, dreading the outcome of his delicate situation. "Tsuna?" the soft voice said again. He didn't know why, but the name sounded familiar and although he wanted nothing more than disappear on the spot, it forced him to look up.

He was met by a pair of deep orange eyes, the colour of the setting sun, filled with worry for him. And before he could stop himself, one name escaped his mouth.

"Primo?"

A look of absolute shock passed on the man's face. For a few seconds, Giotto could only stare at the young boy, startled by this new turn of events. He was going to question the kid when a new voice interrupted him.

"Oh my, what happened in here?"

All heads turned to the door where an unexpected couple had made its entrance. Coming back home after a pleasant date, Daemon and Elena had stopped on the front steps to stare at the scene displayed in front of them. It wasn't every day you saw five Vongola guardians gathered in the hallway, all weapons out as if expecting an attack; and your boss on the stairs of the mansion, dying will flame still activated, holding the newfound spy in his arms.

He was so surprised he even forgot to laugh in his usual manner. "Would somebody mind explaining us? I doubt you all gathered here just to welcome us back."

Strangely, the only answer he received didn't come from his fellow guardians but from the little brunet he was glaring at. If you could call that an answer of course.

"Aaahh! D-Don't c-come near me!"

Pulling away from Giotto's hold, Tsuna quickly got back on his feet and moved back to hide behind the blond man.

"What on earth... Tsuna?" Primo was totally lost. He didn't understand any of the boy's actions, let alone why he was now desperately clutching the fabric of his mantle.

"D-Don't let him!"

"Kufufu, so you're afraid of me? It seems I misjudged you; you are far more perceptive than I thought." Daemon's voice held a satisfied tone than none of them could miss.

"Rather than afraid, I would say he is disgusted. Not that he doesn't have any reason not to be." Alaude drawled, earning himself a dark look from the illusionist.

"Why you..."

As his guardians engaged on their little banter, Giotto saw three maids enter the hall, looking a bit confused. "Master? What is happening?"

"We heard shouting.."

"Everything is fine." said Asari, joining his boss downstairs. "We just had a little encounter with our spy friend here." He added with a glance toward Tsuna.

The poor boy's eyes seemed to widen even more. "S-spy?... Me?" He was about to protest when a sharp pain pierced through his head. Whimpering, he let go of Primo's mantle and grabbed his aching head with his hands as he slumped on the stairs.

"Tsuna!" Giotto was instantly at his side, an arm around his shoulders. "Are you alright? Is it your head?"

His face screwed up in pain, the brunet nodded curtly.

"Alright, don't move too much, we'll take care of that." He said reassuringly. Then, switching to Vongola Boss Mode, he called his guardians. "Knuckle, come down please! Can you heal him again?"

The priest quickly came by his side, and crouched besides Tsuna. "Leave it to me." He said as started to use his flame.

Meanwhile, Primo turned to the others. "Asari, can you escort the maids? And please explain situation to the staff." The Japanese man nodded and led the women out of the hall.

"G, I think you can let go of Lampo now, he's turning blue." The redhead grumbled a bit but still released the poor man who was gasping for air. "Could you go see what has been broken in the house? Aside from the dining room of course." The storm guardian wasn't really pleased to be relegated to intendancy work but he knew better than argue when his boss was like that.

"Lampo, you go do the same outside; and get back my feather while you're at it. NOW!" Giotto shouted before the green haired guardian could start to complain. He watched him scamper away with a sigh, and then turned to face the last problem(s).

"As for you two." He started, looking at the two who were still at daggers drawn with each other. "Do I have to confiscate those scythe and handcuffs, or can you behave like proper adults for the time being?"

The guardians twitched, slightly annoyed to be treated like little children. "You wouldn't dare." Daemon said coolly.

"Oh, try me."

Primo's sky blue eyes were dead serious, and even though it tickled their pride, they let go their opponent for this time. Slowly then, they put their beloved weapons away, out of his reach.

"Wonderful!" Elena said cheerfully, grabbing her lover's arm. "Now come on dear, there is this new splendid dress I wanted to show you."

The Italian woman started to drag him out of the hall, winking at the Vongola boss as she passed by him. She ignored Daemon protests -_but I already saw that dress..._- and quickly left the battlefield.

"Women sure can be persuasive." Knuckle commented, as his flame slowly disappeared. He helped Tsuna stand up, giving him an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

"How are you feeling now?" Giotto asked, eyeing his young charge with worry. "It doesn't hurt anymore?"

"No... hm, I'm fine now. Thank you." Tsuna said shyly. The teen was looking at his feet, and thus, didn't see Giotto come and lift him off the ground. "Waah! P-put me down, I can walk!"

"When you just collapsed five minutes ago? I don't think so." Giotto replied as he started to climb up the stairs. It didn't cost him the slightest effort, the boy was really a feather-weight. Without turning around, he called out. "Alaude, Knuckle, can you come with me? I'd like to discuss a few things in my office."

His two guardians followed obediently, although Alaude couldn't help but make his point.

"That reminds me..."

"What now?"

"Well, I don't know if that's any of your concern but when I last saw him, this boy was suffering from a slight case of amnesia."

Tsuna nearly fell down the stairs when Vongola Primo tripped on his red carpet.

* * *

To be continued...

And there it is, Tsuna's first contact with the Primo family! Hope you liked it.

Thank you all for your reviews, adds, corrections and helpful advices!

So, _phoenixlady7, Rekishichizu_, thanks for reminding me the thing with the weapon box. But since I want to use it in my fic, let's assume Tsuna still has it in his original form.

And last detail, yes, Tsuna does speak Italian. For the needs of this story. (I'll try to come up with a plausible reason, worry not :)

Anyway, thanks again, and see you soon!


	5. Ch5: Welcome to the Vongola

******Chapter 5: Welcome to the Vongola**

A few minutes later, the four of them had holed up in Primo's office and left straights orders that no one was to disturb them, except the other guardians. Alaude was half-hiding in the shadow, as per usual, while the others were discussing. Knuckle was perched on the back of the sofa where Giotto was seated. The young boss was observing Tsuna, on the couch facing him, as he introduced himself and then proceeded to tell the boy how they had found him.

"S-so, you're saying that two days ago, the sisters of a church discovered me, and then called you be-because they thought I was... your son?"

"Correct. At first I also thought it was strange, but when I saw you I understood why. We really look alike after all, don't you think so?" Giotto said with a kind smile.

Tsuna's gaze immediately went to the floor, a light blush colouring his cheeks. "Ye..yeah, I guess. But I'm not really, am I? Your son I mean."

"What? Oh no, no. Not that I would mind if you were. But I'm not old enough to have a child your age." Giotto added with a chuckle. "Which reminds me, how old are you exactly?"

Tsuna opened his mouth to answer, but no word passed the barrier of his lips. Alaude's eyes narrowed when he recognised the expression on the boy's face. The same lost and confused expression he had had during their first meeting, when asked his name.

And unsurprisingly, the same answer came out.

"I don't know.

A short silence followed, as each of the guardians pondered over his statement. Giotto felt a pang of pity and compassion when he saw the crestfallen look in Tsuna's chocolate eyes. Hyper intuition pushed aside, he couldn't believe a single second he wasn't telling the truth.

"It's alright." Giotto said in a comforting tone. "You took a nasty fall down the cliffs. That it resulted in a slight amnesia is not surprising, you'll probably regain your memories soon."

Tsuna didn't look really convinced for the moment, but he still nodded, and listened to Giotto's next question. "At least, you knew your name since you told it to the nuns. Tsuna, isn't it?"

"Um.. yes, that's what you called me... ..before."

"You didn't remember?" Giotto said, frowning.

Tsuna shook his head. He turned toward the cloud guardian, but just slightly, as he didn't really want to face him. "W-When he attacked me in the garden, I couldn't tell him."

"Oh.. then you-" Primo stopped in the middle of his sentence, much to Alaude's annoyance. He wasn't surprised when his boss turned to glare at him. "Attacked you? Alaude, what did you do to him? Don't tell me you hurt a defenceless child?!"

"Of course not." The cloud guardian replied sternly and at first, Giotto's anger seemed to subside. "I merely chained him with my handcuffs."

"What?!"

Knuckle shook his head as Primo started to reprimand his guardian, but to his surprise, the spy- no, Tsuna, spoke up before he could say anything.

"Ah wait! I-it's alright, I wasn't hurt... And he didn't know who I was at the time." He was still stuttering a bit, but his voice was getting firmer, and he didn't want to let the others always protect him. He didn't mind being called a child but the 'defenceless' irked him a little, even though he didn't know why. After all, he _had _felt pretty defenceless at that moment. "It's fine. Really. Please d-don't blame him."

The three men looked a bit surprised that he would defend Alaude so vehemently, but Giotto seemed to accept it and decided to let it go. "If you say so."

Seeing his boss give in, the head of CEDEF took this chance to step forward and talk to the boy himself. "Wait, I have a few questions to ask you first. I won't do anything." He added after Giotto's reproachful stare.

Walking up to the sofa, he glanced at his boss. "You said you don't remember anything and you don't know us, the Vongola. Yet, you still called him Primo. Why?"

"Err... I don't know."

"Why were you scared of Daemon Spade?"

"I don't know."

"Why do you have a box with the arms of the Vongola?"

"I don't... uh, what box?"

Seeing his confusion, Giotto pulled the box out of his pocket and handed it to him. Alaude was observing closely but he couldn't see the slightest change of expression on his face. The boy just examined the box curiously, turning it in his hands as he tried to open it like they had done. It seemed he was truly seeing it for the first time.

"I'm sorry." He said, giving the box back to Giotto. "I really don't know what this is."

"It's alright, don't worry." Primo said again. A pensive expression then settled on his face. "I don't want to venture a wild guess but you know, I don't think you are completely Italian. Your name, if that's really yours, doesn't sound Italian and you have a slight accent. I think I heard it before but I can't remember where..."

Tsuna was nervously playing with the hem of his shirt as he watched the three men discuss. The whole conversation had seemed a bit weird, as they knew as much of him than he knew himself. Tsuna sighed inwardly, wondering why he wasn't more worried about his total lack of memories. It was probably the aftershock after everything that had happened today. But he guessed he couldn't really complain, after all he could have landed in a place far worse than this manor.

And with people worse than those... guardians, as they called themselves. Tsuna felt particularly safe when he was around their boss, Giotto. He was really nice and kind, and believed him on his word only. Tsuna almost wished to have his memories back just so he could give him some answers and stop bothering him.

A loud grumbling sound interrupted his trail of thoughts, and he realised with embarrassment that it was his own stomach protesting.

He blushed even harder when the three men stopped talking and turned to him. "Oh I'm sorry!" Giotto said quickly, standing up. "I forgot you hadn't eaten. Come with me, I'll ask the maids to prepare you something."

Tsuna was too hungry to pass up the offer, even though it was really embarrassing. He got back on his feet and followed him closely, as he didn't trust himself not to get lost in this ridiculously huge mansion. He still didn't understand how he had landed in the garden when he had been looking for the kitchens.

Giotto put an arm around his shoulders, and steered him toward the door. "Come on, I'll show you the house after."

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

The kitchens weren't very busy since it was only the middle of the afternoon and the few employees remaining there had been more than glad to serve their master and his guest. A few minutes later, when Giotto finally managed to convince his staff that no, he didn't mind eating in the kitchens; they gave the two of them some privacy.

The Vongola boss could see his young charge was a bit embarrassed by all the attention, so he dug in first. As expected, Tsuna became less hesitant after that.

"Do you feel better now?" Giotto asked a while after. "Or does it still hurt?"

Tsuna swallowed a mouthful and then shook his head. "No, I'm fine now, thanks. It helped a lot, err… whatever your friend did."

Smiling, Giotto nodded knowingly. "Knuckle, that's his name. He's a priest and a healer, on top of being one of my guardians."

"Your… guardian?"

This word echoed strangely in Tsuna's mind, as if tugging at a particular memory, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember. The name seemed familiar though, and a pensive frown curved Tsuna's eyebrows.

Mistaking it for confusion, Giotto didn't hesitate to explain him. "Yes, I have six guardians, the people you saw downstairs. They're my comrades as well as my work partners, let's say."

"Hm…" Tsuna nodded slowly, digesting the information. "So, what are they called? I-If you don't mind me asking." He added a bit more shyly.

"I don't mind at all, don't worry." Giotto said kindly. "Well, the redhead who was chasing you in the corridor is G, my first guardian and my right-hand man. The young man he was strangling is Lampo, my youngest guardian." He added, before taking a sip of his drink. "I don't know if you really saw him, but the black haired man dressed with japanese clothing was Asari."

Giotto couldn't help but sigh as he came by the end of his list. "The two guys fighting were Alaude, that's the blond one, and Daemon." A shiver ran down Tsuna's spine, but if he noticed it, Primo didn't mention it.

"Hm. And what about that lady? Isn't she working with you too?"

"Elena? Well yes she is, actually. She's Daemon's fiancée and as it happens, she was the one who brought him into the Family."

"What is it exactly, this Family?" Tsuna asked a bit awkwardly, as if he shouldn't really have been asking that question.

Giotto leaned a little on the table, letting his fingers intertwine under his chin. Now to the difficult part. He wasn't really sure how the brunet would take it, but he just hoped he wouldn't be too frightened. There wasn't any reason to be. "Well… to be perfectly precise, we are a _Famiglia_. The Vongola, a mafia family."

"Oh, yeah." Tsuna said quietly, and went back to munching crust of bread. "_Should have known that_." He thought, somehow feeling a bit silly for asking.

On the other side of the table however, Giotto's reaction was far less composed. He stared at the younger male with wide eyes and although he didn't quite ask "_That's it?_", he was close to. The Vongola were a pretty new Famiglia in Italy but they were already more or less known around the country. And even though the brunet didn't seem to remember much of his past, Giotto had thought the whole mafia thing would scare him. If only a little bit.

Well, Giotto wasn't going to complain. He wanted to ask Tsuna if he was alright with staying in their mansion when the boy suddenly choked on his water and he had to go around the table to pat him on the back.

"Are you alright?" Giotto asked the teen when he stopped coughing.

"Y-Yeah…" he said slowly "But I… I remembered your friend G, he c-called me a spy. You think I'm a spy?!" the poor boy all but shrieked as he turned his wide, fearful chocolate eyes toward the blond, making him wince inwardly.

Great, now he was scared.

"No, no, no, Tsuna that's not it." He said quickly. "G and Knuckle thought you might be a spy because of that box with the Vongola arms you had, but we already discarded that idea. Don't worry, we know you're not here to spy on our family."

Seeing that the boy didn't seem quiet convinced yet, Giotto kneeled down to be at his level. "Listen, we were a bit suspicious of you first because you just… fell out of nowhere, that's true. G, Alaude and Daemon don't trust people very easily, but that's part of their job." He said in their defence. "But they will listen to me if I ask them to leave you alone. My intuition is almost always right and at the moment, it's telling me that I can trust you. We won't ever harm you, so there's no need to be afraid of us, ok?"

Giotto had tried to reassure the boy as much as he could, and he was glad when a nod and a shy smile came in return.

"So this is where you two were hiding!"

Giotto and Tsuna's head snapped up and they were met by the sight of a smiling lady, red dress swooping down the aisle as she walked to their table.

The two of them got back on their feet, but Giotto was surprised to feel a faint tug on his mantle as he rose. Tsuna was half-hiding behind him and Primo understood why when he saw that they boy's eyes kept darting between Elena and the kitchens' door.

"No one at your arm? What happened to your charming date?" He asked with an amused smile.

"Oh, Daemon ran off to somewhere before I could show him my new wardrobe." She said, shrugging. "He always does that."

Giotto fought to bite back a smart comment. His mist guardian might be head over heels for his fiancée, but he wasn't completely out of his mind. A fitting session with Elena was a matter of hours rather than minutes.

Sensing the little brunet relax now that the menace of Daemon was gone, Giotto stepped aside and introduced him to the young lady.

"Elena, this is Tsuna. He'll be staying with us for the moment."

Tsuna shyly looked up and tried to greet her as well. However, a weak "N-Nice to meet you-" was all he could utter before being caught in a bone crushing hug.

"Oh my god, you're so cute!" The blonde woman exclaimed and Giotto couldn't help but chuckle when Tsuna blushed madly in her embrace. Slightly pulling away, she said. "Dear, where are my manners. It's very nice to meet you too, Tsuna. I hope you weren't too scared by those idiots earlier. How is your head? Do you feel better now?"

Submerged by this avalanche of questions, Tsuna could only nod quietly. His cheeks were still burning but he didn't to pry the lady off him. Besides, he wasn't sure he would actually be able to do so; the woman had a grip of iron.

He caught Giotto's laughing gaze when Elena pecked his cheeks and went back on another round of "so adorable!" The blonde boss shrugged helplessly as he mouthed a few words behind Elena's back.

"Welcome to the Vongola, Tsuna."

* * *

TBC...

Hi everyone, sorry for the long wait! .. and this rather uneventful chapter... Next one (or the one after that) should be more interesting.

Thanks again for all your comments, you guys are the best!  
I see you had a few questions about Tsuna and his loss of memory, whether or not he'd remember the vongola and if there would be other main characters.  
I can't say anything about the first one, cause it would reveal too much of the plot... but rest assured that the Primo family is going to play a major part of the story, most of them. And the other characters of the Primo era should also make an appearance a bit later^^

Until then..


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